INS Garuda Marks 70 Years of Service the premier Naval Air Station of the Southern Naval Command located in Kochi, Kerala,
recently marked its remarkable 70 years of service to the Indian Navy. With a rich history and significant contributions to naval aviation,
INS Garuda holds a unique position as the cradle of naval aviation in India.
New Delhi [India], May 11 (ANI): INS Garuda, the premier Naval Air Station of the Southern Naval Command in Kerala’s Kochi on Thursday completed 70 years of glorious service to the Indian Navy.
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Commissioned on 11 May 1953, it is the oldest Naval Air Station which has been associated with the beginning of Naval aviation.
Home to the first amphibious aircraft of the Indian Navy, the Sealanders. It has grown into a full-fledged air base operating some of the finest air assets of the Indian Navy. It was in 1943 that a proper RN Air Station was set up at Kochi for the sole purpose of assembling and ferrying out
Royal Navy aircraft which were being shipped to India those days in knocked down condition.
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It is pertinent to mention that in 1942, Royal Navy had commissioned a royal Navy Aircraft Repair Yard at Peelamedu, coimbatore (not Sulur) called ‘HMS GARUDA”. The Royal Navy Air Station at Kochi used to assemble and deliver aircraft to its parent unit ‘HMS Garuda’ at Peelamedu.
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Decommissioning of ‘HMS Garuda’
In 1942, the Royal Navy established ‘HMS Garuda,’ a dedicated Aircraft Repair Yard, in Peelamedu, Coimbatore. This marks the term “Garuda” being used for the first time in the naval context. The facility was decommissioned on 01 September 1946, marking the end of its service.
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INS Garuda Marks 70 Years of Service
